This invention relates to a lure for fishing.
There are many different types of fishing lures in the marketplace today, with varying ranges of effectiveness in attracting fish. In general, a fishing lure is intended to simulate the movements, and, to some extent, the appearance of a live water creature on which the fish to be attracted might feed. Accordingly, most lures are provided with highly noticeable surfaces and are constructed so as to have considerable motion as they move through the water while trolling, casting, or jigging. Usually these motions are relative simple, such as a weaving or spinning motion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,048 issued May 2, 1961 to McGarry et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,469 issued Oct. 1, 1968 to Whitney disclose casting/trolling fishing lures composed of two concave, twisted strips joined together, each lure having a side-to-side weaving motion when drawn through water due to the flow of water through the opening between the two strips and along the curves and twists of those strips. U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,757 issued Aug. 12, 1975 to Gentert, U.S. Pat. No. 839,917 issued Jan. 1, 1907 to Chapman, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,071 issued May 6, 1958 to Benoit disclose casting/trolling lures with similar configurations, although with spinning motions when drawn through water.
Most lures perform only the single function for which they are designed. Some lures (like those in the patents described above) are suitable only for casting and trolling, while others are suitable only for jigging. Since both casting and trolling involve pulling a lure horizontally through water, the fishing line, during casting or trolling, will be connected to a ring or eyelet in the forward end of the casting/trolling lure body to allow the lure to be pulled in such a way that the lure simulates the natural movement of a live water creature. However, such lure configurations do not work well for jigging, which involves jerky up-and-down vertical movements through the water. Using a casting/trolling lure with a line connected to its forward end for jigging will cause the lure to hang vertically in the water, giving an unnatural appearance and making it difficult to attract fish. Similarly, jigging lures do not work well for casting or trolling since they are configured for a different purpose.
Some lures purport to be able to function as both casting lures and as jigging lures. However, they do not perform well for a number of reasonsxe2x80x94they tend to be heavy and cumbersome, their designs are not adequate to provide natural appearances and motions in both casting/trolling and jigging contexts, and they provide only a single means of line connection (which will not be suitable for both casting and jigging).
It would be convenient for fishers if there were a lure design that successfully encompassed both methods of fishing in one lure and, at the same time, provided extraordinary motion through water so as to attract fish.
A fishing lure according to the present invention is capable of effective use in both casting/trolling and jigging. The fishing lure has connection sites for connecting a fishing line or a hook not only at each end of the lure, but also at a location between its two ends (preferably, at its top center). Where the lure is used for jigging, the fishing line is connected at the top center connection site and the hook(s) can be connected at either the bottom center connection site or the two end connection sites. By incorporating into the lure different sites along the lure at which lines can be connected to the lure, the lure is adaptable for use in different types of fishing.
In addition, the main body of the lure can be selected so as to cause the lure to exhibit desirable patterns of movement through water in order to attract more fish. In an embodiment of the invention described below, the main body of the lure has a fluted lenticular configuration which causes the lure to move in a spectacular spiralling corkscrew pattern through the water when the lure is pulled horizontally through water during casting or trolling. However, during jigging, the same lure will move back and forth in an unusual series of arcs as it is pulled vertically upward. In either case, when allowed to free fall, the lure darts and flutters, realistically simulating live prey.